AnonAddy vs Maddy Mail Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted mail servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AnonAddy
Email forwarding service for creating aliases
VS
Maddy Mail Server
Composable, all-in-one mail server in Go
| Feature | AnonAddy | Maddy Mail Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mail Servers | Mail Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,789 | ★ 6,060 |
| First released | 2026 | 2019 |
| Replaces | — | Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 |
Why pick each one
Choose AnonAddy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in PHP
Choose Maddy Mail Server if…
- Drastically simpler than traditional stacks
- Low resource use
Frequently asked questions
Is AnonAddy or Maddy Mail Server better?
Neither is universally better. Maddy Mail Server has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AnonAddy and Maddy Mail Server free and open-source?
Yes. AnonAddy is licensed under MIT and Maddy Mail Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AnonAddy and Maddy Mail Server with Docker?
AnonAddy: yes. Maddy Mail Server: yes.